--- title: Best system for cafés in 2027: what you need | NFCeez url: https://nfceez.de/en/blog/best-system-for-cafes-2027/ language: en description: The best system for cafés in 2027: what a café really needs, what can stay simple and which questions to ask any provider. An honest guide with no ranking. --- # What is the best system for a café in 2027? Till, menu, bookings, loyalty card, Google profile: what you really need and what can stay simple. A guide with no ranking and no vendor names. [Marketing and running](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/topic/marketing/) 6 min read Updated 2 November 2026 NFCeez editorial team The short answer The best system for a café in 2027 is rarely one single program. It is a compliant till, in Germany with a TSE security device, a well-kept Google profile, and only the pieces that fit the business, such as a menu, loyalty card or bookings. Total cost, data export, fair cancellation and daily use by your team decide what is right. Contents - Is there one best system for every café? - What does a café really need? - Does a café in Germany need a till with a TSE? - One package, or separate tools? - Which setup fits which business? - What should you ask any provider? - What can stay simple? - What does the guest side look like when you run it from your phone? - Where should you start today? Search for the best café system and you mostly find lists written by vendors or by sites paid by vendors. So there is no winner below. Instead you get what a café really needs, what can stay simple, and what to ask any provider. Legal points are for Germany. Plainly said: NFCeez makes parts of such a system, so this guide is not neutral. ## Is there one best system for every café? No, there is no single best system for every café. A bakery ringing up hundreds of quick sales a day needs something different from a café with table service and weekend bookings. Three questions matter more than any ranking: - Do guests order at the counter or at the table? - Do guests book, or do they just walk in? - Who keeps the system up to date when the place is full? The third gets skipped most often. A program nobody maintains ends up worse than a notepad. Something you can change from your phone in a minute gets kept up far more often than something that needs a laptop at night. ## What does a café really need? A café needs a compliant till and a well-kept Google profile. Everything else is a choice that has to fit your business. Piece How important Simple version Paying for more makes sense when Till with TSE (German security device) Core of the business Small till or cloud till with TSE You need table plans, several tills or kitchen tickets Google profile Very important Hours, photos, menu, answer reviews Rarely, this mostly stays simple Menu online Important One current page instead of an old PDF Your menu changes often or needs allergens and languages Bookings Depends Phone and calendar Weekends are full and the phone keeps pulling staff off the floor Loyalty card Depends Paper card You want to see who comes back Bookkeeping, e-invoices Required, in the background, with [e-invoices](https://www.ihk.de/stuttgart/fuer-unternehmen/recht-und-steuern/steuerrecht/steuermeldungen/e-rechnungen-5864496) for business customers Whatever your bookkeeper already uses You often invoice companies Staff rota Can stay simple Shared spreadsheet Many part-timers and frequent shift swaps Why the online profile ranks so high: in a [2024 Bitkom survey](https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/Restaurants-und-Cafes-Online-Bewertungen-entscheidend) of 1,005 people aged 16 and over in Germany, 53 percent checked the menu online before visiting a new place, and 30 percent called online reviews the top factor. That was a survey, not a measurement in cafés. In its [Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/14189260?hl=en), Google says a business can manage a menu, a menu link and bookings through supported providers. The steps are in [Google Business Profile for restaurants](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/google-business-profile-for-restaurants/). ## Does a café in Germany need a till with a TSE? A German café that records sales electronically already needs a certified technical security device (TSE), and from 2028 an electronic till is set to become mandatory above 100,000 euros turnover anyway. The rules are [section 146a of the Fiscal Code](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ao_1977/__146a.html) and the [Cash Register Security Regulation (KassenSichV)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/kassensichv/BJNR351500017.html). Each receipt then carries details such as the transaction number and the TSE serial number, and the till must be reported to the tax office. An open cash drawer is still allowed in November 2026. The [government draft](https://dserver.bundestag.de/brd/2026/0585-26.pdf), set for its [first Bundestag reading](https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2026/kw45-de-kassenaufzeichnungen-1225122) on 6 November, would require an electronic till above 100,000 euros total turnover from 1 January 2028. Businesses that accept cash and take under 12,000 euros a year in cash would be exempt. It isn't law yet. Our [overview of 2027](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/hospitality-2027-what-changes/) tracks the status. The draft doesn't prescribe a specific till: a cash register, a full system or a cloud till all work if they meet the requirements. Ask your provider now how digital receipts will work from 2028. According to the [Cologne chamber of commerce (IHK)](https://www.ihk.de/koeln/hauptnavigation/recht-steuern/steuern/bundesregierung-beschliesst-kassenpflicht-7183040), there's no immediate need to switch, so you can compare calmly. ## One package, or separate tools? Most small cafés do fine with a good till and a few small tools, while one package from a single provider suits places with several tills, table service and lots of staff. Each option has its cost, just in different places. Setup Fits Cost, in general The risk Till plus paper and phone Small counter businesses with many regulars Low, mainly the till and printing No figures on who comes back Till plus two or three small tools Most independent cafés Several small subscriptions Data in several places, till and tools usually don't talk to each other Package from a till provider Larger businesses, several locations Higher subscription, often hardware and setup Strong lock-in, some parts may only be average To compare, add everything up over three years: one-off costs, 36 monthly fees, card fees and any per-booking charges. Only that total is comparable. A low monthly fee with a long contract can end up costing more than a higher one you can cancel monthly. ## Which setup fits which business? The right setup depends on how your guests arrive and order. Four made-up examples: - Bäckerei Hafenkorn , lots of passing trade: a fast till, a Google profile, maybe a stamp card. Nobody here needs bookings. - Café Morgenrot , one location with regulars: till, Google profile, an easy-to-change menu online and a digital loyalty card. Bookings only for weekend breakfast. - Bar Kobalt , busy in the evenings: till, Google profile, a current menu. A loyalty card mainly with quiet days in mind, see [how to fill quiet days](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/how-to-fill-quiet-days/). - Restaurant Laterne , table service: a till system with tables and kitchen tickets, plus [online reservations](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/online-table-reservations/). ## What should you ask any provider? Ten questions, answered in writing - What does everything cost together over 36 months, with hardware, TSE, setup and fees? - How long is the contract, and how do I cancel? - Do I get all my data when I leave, in an open format? - What happens if the internet drops during service? - Who helps if something fails on a Saturday night? - For tills: is the TSE included, and how will digital receipts work from 2028? - For guest data: is there a [processing agreement under Article 28 GDPR](https://dsgvo-gesetz.de/art-28-dsgvo/)? - Does the guest page set cookies or trackers that need consent under [section 25 TDDDG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ttdsg/__25.html)? - Do guests have to install an app or create an account? - Can I test it with my own phone and real data before I pay? ## What can stay simple? Anything neither your guests nor the tax office notices can stay simple. A rota can be a spreadsheet. Bookings can run on phone and calendar as long as they don't keep pulling you off the floor. A printed menu stays useful anyway: [section 13 of the German Price Indication Regulation](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pangv_2022/__13.html) requires a price list on the tables, displayed legibly or shown to guests before they order, plus a notice next to the entrance. Start with one piece and check after three months whether your team really uses it. We have separate guides for two of them: [best loyalty card in 2027](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/best-loyalty-card-for-cafes-2027/) and [best digital menu in 2027](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/best-digital-menu-2027/). ## What does the guest side look like when you run it from your phone? NFCeez covers exactly this guest side, for cafés, restaurants, bars and bakeries. In the app you add your business with its name and address, then your logo, opening hours, links and the link to your Google review. Whatever you save is live on your [Smart Page](https://nfceez.de/en/features/smart-page/) straight away. You take photos of your menu, the AI turns them into a digital menu, and you check it before you publish. You design the stamp card once, and guests add it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet with a code sent by email. Table requests appear on your phone, and one tap confirms or declines them. You connect an NFC sticker by holding your phone to it. Guests don't need an app for any of it. The limits: there are no payments, no ordering and no connection to your till. Guests order from your staff and pay at the till. So you still need your own compliant till. If you want everything in one till package, a till provider will suit you better. ## Where should you start today? Take ten minutes and write down what you already pay for, with the amount and notice period. Then look up your café on Google on your phone and check the hours, menu and photos. Whatever looks wrong is your first piece. After that, send your till provider the question about digital receipts from 2028. [ How NFCeez does this The guest side, kept up from your phone. Opening hours, menu, stamp card and table requests on one page that you change in the app. Your till stays as it is. See how it works ](https://nfceez.de/en/features/smart-page/) Sources - [Bundesrat Drucksache 585/26: Gesetzentwurf der Bundesregierung](https://dserver.bundestag.de/brd/2026/0585-26.pdf) - [Bundestag: Gesetzentwurf Kassenaufzeichnungen, Drucksache 21/8867](https://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2026/kw45-de-kassenaufzeichnungen-1225122) - [IHK Köln: Bundesregierung beschließt Kassenpflicht und digitalen Bon ab 2028](https://www.ihk.de/koeln/hauptnavigation/recht-steuern/steuern/bundesregierung-beschliesst-kassenpflicht-7183040) - [§ 146a Abgabenordnung](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ao_1977/__146a.html) - [Kassensicherungsverordnung (KassenSichV)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/kassensichv/BJNR351500017.html) - [IHK Region Stuttgart: Obligatorische E-Rechnungen](https://www.ihk.de/stuttgart/fuer-unternehmen/recht-und-steuern/steuerrecht/steuermeldungen/e-rechnungen-5864496) - [Bitkom: Restaurants und Cafés, Online-Bewertungen entscheidend (2024)](https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/Restaurants-und-Cafes-Online-Bewertungen-entscheidend) - [Google Business Profile Help: Get started with a Business Profile for your restaurant](https://support.google.com/business/answer/14189260?hl=en) - [§ 13 Preisangabenverordnung](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pangv_2022/__13.html) - [Artikel 28 DSGVO](https://dsgvo-gesetz.de/art-28-dsgvo/) - [§ 25 TDDDG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ttdsg/__25.html) ## Questions about café systems in 2027 A small café needs a till that meets the rules and a well-kept Google profile. An online menu, loyalty card and bookings only make sense if someone really uses them day to day. It depends on size. With several tills and table service, a package often saves coordination. For a small café, a good till and a few small tools are usually easier to maintain and to change. As things stand there is no general duty in 2027. The government draft names 1 January 2028 for businesses above 100,000 euros total turnover. If you already record sales electronically, you need a TSE today (as of 2 November 2026). No. NFCeez isn't a till, takes no payments and isn't an ordering system. A café still needs its own till for that. Add everything up over 36 months: one-off costs, monthly fees, card fees and any per-booking charges. Watch the contract length too, because a cheap subscription with a long term can end up costing more. ## Keep reading. [All articles](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/) [ ### What changes for German cafés and restaurants in 2027, and what is only planned? Minimum wage, e-invoices, the cash register duty, the EU AI Act and 7 % VAT on food, each with its status on 2 November 2026. Plus only measured figures on guests. - ](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/hospitality-2027-what-changes/) [ ### Which loyalty card is best for your café in 2027? Paper, Wallet card, own app or till add-on: what each one does, who it fits and what to ask before you sign. - ](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/best-loyalty-card-for-cafes-2027/) [ ### Which digital menu is best for your restaurant or café in 2027? PDF behind a QR code, menu builder or menu from the till: what each one does, what the law requires and what to ask before you print. - ](https://nfceez.de/en/blog/best-digital-menu-2027/)